Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano traded his fire suit for a flak jacket as Mission 600 kicked off its 2025 campaign with a visit to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune on Tuesday.
Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Mission 600 is an annual campaign that pairs drivers and regional military bases as a build up to the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend.
Tuesday’s visit, which also comes ahead of the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday celebration later this year, provided the Coca-Cola Racing Family driver with an immersive day meeting Marines from the 2d Combat Engineer Battalion. The 2d CEB provides close-combat engineer support to the 2d Marine Division in order to enhance mobility, counter-mobility and survivability.
Alongside Charlotte Motor Speedway President and General Manager Greg Walter, Logano learned about the battalion’s explosive ordinance capabilities, including watching the preparation and detonation of 40-pound shaper and crater charges. Following a tour of the base in a UTV and lunch with a group of Marines, Logano and Walter faced off head-to-head in a heavy-equipment race designed to simulate digging trenches or breaching anti-tank ditches. The pair drove a JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavator (Combat Tractor) and a 30-ton D7 bulldozer to highlight the role engineers may play in combat situations.
“To get to see firsthand, a little bit of how these guys train, one, helps us go back and talk to our race fans to explain that what they are doing for our safety here in America,” Logano said. “But, I also take some stuff back to my race team. I get to see the way these teams work and how everyone works together. What these men and women are able to do, I’m proud to be here with the Marines and proud to be American.”
For leadership at Camp Lejeune, having someone like Logano visit is great for morale, but also for highlighting what these men and women do in service to the Marines.
“I think every Marine that chooses to join has a different path as to why they came here,” said Maj. Nicholas King. “Ultimately, it’s a great opportunity, especially around our 250th Marine Corps birthday celebration, to really capture that legacy and then show that bond to the future Marine Corps and to our civilian counterparts — not just an average civilian, but a NASCAR champion.
“The smiles on the Marines’ faces, actually getting to meet, interact with him and realize he’s just a genuine, down-to-earth person was something to remember.”
At Charlotte Motor Speedway, Memorial Day Weekend provides the opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, particularly those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. With the support of the U.S. Department of Defense, the patriotic Coca-Cola 600 pre-race show includes representation from all six major branches of the military.
“When you think about the commitment that it takes, the discipline that it takes to be in our military, it makes me proud to live in this country every day,” Logano said. “They’re putting their lives on the line for strangers, people that they’ve never met before. How grateful we all should be to be living in a country like this where, we have people that are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice.”
© American Military News